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Roger Avary, Oscar-winning co-writer of Pulp Fiction, adapts Bret Easton Ellis’s novel about drunken, drug-addled college students reaching for meaningful human connection. We experience The Rules of Attraction primarily through three lovelorn characters: a virgin named Lauren (Shannyn Sossamon), a sociopath named Sean (James Van Der Beek), and a bisexual named Paul (Ian Somerhalder). Sean (who’s the younger brother of American Psycho‘s Patrick Bateman within the Ellis universe) thinks Lauren is a secret admirer who writes him daily love letters, but the more Lauren interacts with Sean, the more his narcissistic tendencies offend her. Meanwhile, Paul pursues Sean, under the mistaken impression that Sean is interested in him. The three characters interact over a series of parties, headed toward a somewhat depressing climax in which their relationship efforts implode, leaving each of them utterly alone.
The Rules of Attraction is a challenging film because it asks us to identify with characters who are often ugly and self-destructive. Even though the characters may not be admirable, I think they’re relatable on a primal level. Like all human beings, Sean, Paul, and Lauren are afraid to be alone. And like so many of us, they get caught between the desire for true intimacy and the compulsion to act how we think people want us to. The Rules of Attraction may look like a debauched teen comedy, but there’s remarkably meaningful subtext at play. Avary and Ellis imply the theme of the story twice, first when Sean pleads to Lauren, “I want to know you.” She responds with cold-hearted cynicism, “No one ever knows anyone.” Shortly afterwards, Sean repeats this dreary wisdom, using it like a blunt weapon when Paul makes a last-ditch effort to connect with him.
The lead actors all give good performances, with Van Der Beek successfully shedding the squeaky clean image he earned from headlining Dawson’s Creek for so many years. The supporting cast is full of notable talent. Fred Savage (The Wonder Years) has a cameo as a student strung out on heroine and singer Paul Williams has a darkly comic scene as a mean-spirited doctor who insists a student is dead when they clearly show signs of life. The biggest scene stealer is Russell Sams as ‘Dick’, a rich, intoxicated friend of Paul’s. Sams only has two scenes in the film, but he leaves the biggest impression after an over-the-top dinner scene where he publicly embarrasses Paul and both boys’ mothers (Swoosie Kurtz and Faye Dunaway).
Like Pulp Fiction, the film plays with non-linear storytelling and cinematic technique, frequently employing split-screen and reverse photography for dramatic effect, not just for show. The tone of the film varies from broad comedy to shocking tragedy (a ritualistic bathtub suicide scene is a hard one to watch). Somehow, the vacillation feels right. The comedy underlines the silly ways in which we try to achieve intimacy, while the heavier moments acknowledge the painful reality of human loneliness. Many may be quick to dismiss The Rules of Attraction as another in a long line of pretentious, sensationalized, teen-oriented movies. Even though it doesn’t avoid convention entirely, and its messaging isn’t the most consumer-friendly, I think the film’s a bold and entertaining original.
With Jessica Biel, Kip Pardue, Kate Bosworth, Jay Baruchel, Thomas Ian Nicholas (American Pie), and Eric Stoltz.